The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 160 Tie Xuan's Journey to Beijing is Blocked

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was startled and hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Father, you are wise. Uncle Tiande is completely loyal to you and would never rebel. There must be another reason for this!"

Zhu Biao pondered to himself that such a situation had never occurred before, and that this matter was too sudden.

It all started with the assassination of U.A., but there are probably other things involved.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was gloomy, and he didn't say a word.

"Tell us everything that has happened in Yingtian Prefecture during this period, without missing a single detail!"

Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was covered in sweat.

During this period, most of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's forces were in the Jiangnan region monitoring officials, while some were also tasked with protecting Zhu Yuanzhang.

As for the Imperial Guards of Yingtian Prefecture, they were transferred away by Empress Ma some time ago.

I originally thought Zhu Yuanzhang knew about this, but I was wrong.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Not long ago, His Highness the Crown Prince announced the hunting trip and then went to the residence of the Duke of Zheng. Later, the three brothers of the Duke of Zheng, Chang Mao, followed His Highness the Crown Prince. The Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, disbanded all his adopted sons. I heard that this matter caused quite a few conflicts!"

……

The two listened intently, increasingly uneasy. So many major events had occurred in just a few days.

But neither of them knew anything about it.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and threw the cup in his hand at Mao Xiang.

Mao Xiang felt a sharp pain in his forehead, and tea leaves dripped down his head, but he kept his head down and didn't dare to make a sound.

"What audacity! How could you only report something this important now?"

Mao Xiang felt extremely wronged.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to report it; it was simply that Empress Ma and the Crown Prince's grandson intentionally kept it from Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

These two aren't fools. They'll probably storm Yingtianfu before the plan even begins.

Zhu Biao sighed, his expression complex.

It's that troublesome kid again.

Since the two left Yingtian Prefecture, the things this kid has done have made them worry countless times.

"Father, should we go and look at the heavens?"

"Such a major event has occurred in the imperial court. If no one in the court takes charge, I'm afraid it won't do!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also extremely displeased.

This Zhu Xiong Ying is really good at causing trouble.

The two regents, one civil and one military, whom he had left behind after only a few days of absence, were simply dismissed.

"You're right. We can't let this kid keep causing trouble. If he keeps going, our Great Ming Dynasty might be gone by the time we get back!"

"Hurry up and pack your things, let's go back!"

Just then, Erhu ran over.

"Your Majesty, a letter from the Empress!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised and opened Empress Ma's envelope. His expression turned complicated when he saw the contents.

Zhu Biao felt that there might be more to this than met the eye.

"What happened to Father?"

Zhu Yuanzhang handed the letter to Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side.

"See for yourself!"

Zhu Biao read through the contents of the letter.

The main point was that Empress Ma explained what her grandson Zhu Xiong Ying had been doing during this period, and she praised him highly in her words.

Zhu Biao felt a pang of bitterness. Even after all these years as Crown Prince, Empress Ma had never praised him like this. However, Zhu Xiong Ying's schemes were indeed ruthless. "Father, did Xiong Ying really do all this?"

The entire plan was meticulously crafted, with each step linked to the next, and almost everything was meticulously planned. This is truly the kind of thinking a ten-year-old child should have.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was complicated.

"Biao'er, Xiong Ying is a good kid. I have to admit, this is the most appropriate way to handle it!"

"Tiande is the person we trust most, but he has too many troops under his command. Our Ming Dynasty cannot produce another Zhao Kuangyin. Now that Xiong Ying has brought out Chang Mao and Lan Yu, even if Tiande is the one leading the expedition, we will feel at ease!"

"Erhu, pass on the order!"

"Let Duke Feng Sheng of Song go north to garrison Dadu to defend against the Northern Yuan. Duke Li Wenzhong of Cao will serve as the Grand Commander of the Five Armies Commandery. Marquis Mu Ying of Pingxi will go to the southwest to garrison Yunnan. Chang Mao will serve as the Garrison Commander of Datong Town. Lan Yu will serve as the Vanguard Commander of the Five Armies Commandery!"

Zhu Biao frowned.

"Father, if this arrangement is made, it is equivalent to directly transferring these generals and their own troops away, which will likely greatly reduce the fighting capacity of our Ming army in the short term!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly.

"If these guys can't even handle this simple task, what's the point of keeping them around?"

"Moreover, with the scout headquarters abolished this time, Wang Baobao's spies in the Central Plains have become blind. He'll be content just dealing with his measly affairs in the Northern Yuan!"

Currently, the Ming Dynasty and Wang Baobao's armies are in a stalemate at the border. The Ming Dynasty is focused on developing its national strength and has no intention of continuing its northern expedition.

Wang Baobao, on the other hand, was preoccupied with dealing with internal power struggles.

Both sides have exercised restraint, and a large-scale war is unlikely to break out in the north in the short term.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao suddenly realized.

"Then, shall we go back?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"Forget it, let that kid cause some more trouble. We're curious to see what kind of trouble he can come up with!"

Outside Yingtian City, a large group of people entered the city in a grand procession. The leader of the group was Tie Xuan, who came from Fengyang Prefecture.

Tie Xuan sighed as he looked at the towering city before him.

This journey has been incredibly difficult. I don't know how many times I've been assassinated, and even the prisoners I've captured have faced similar challenges.

If it weren't for the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot, I probably would have died on this road long ago.

We've finally arrived here.

"Pass on my order: Enter the city!"

One prisoner wagon after another entered the city.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were startled by what they saw.

"Where did these prisoners come from? So many prisoners? Judging from their clothes, they're probably not ordinary people!"

An older soldier guarding the city whispered to himself.

"What's the point of knowing so much? The more you know, the faster you'll die. Just guard your city gates!"

Tie Xuan led his men into the city, but they were blocked by several people.

Tie Xuan looked up and realized that the people in front of him were several marquises he had seen before.

Marquis Yongjia, Zhu Liangzu, and the others were flushed. Along the way, they had been sending out assassins to try and eliminate Tie Xuan, but who would have thought that Tie Xuan had so many experts around him, causing them to lose a lot of manpower and still failing to stop him.

Not long ago, Zhu Xiong Ying reorganized the troops in the capital, hoping to gain some benefits, but who knew he would have no military power at all.

It seems that Zhu Xiong Ying has begun to take precautions against them, and they have been having a very difficult time lately.

Tie Xuan frowned and looked at these people.

"Gentlemen, I am escorting prisoners to the capital on His Majesty's orders. Please do not obstruct me!"

Marquis Fei Ju of Pingliang said with a gloomy face: "Lord Tie Xuan, these servants who have committed crimes do deserve to die, but this is ultimately our family matter. Can we leave it to us to handle?"

(End of this chapter)